Desiree is the former Equity Program Manager for the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, the first position of its kind in the nation, where her work was dedicated to the alignment of social equity in public administration and environmental policy. In her consulting practice, she uses her unique combination of skills in organizational development, change management, social justice organizing, and systems analysis to address institutionalized racism through customized support to move organizations and teams towards equitable and just solutions.

In 2016, Desiree was honored by the Obama White House for her work with the community to apply an equity lens to the City of Portland/Multnomah County Climate Action Plan, and in 2017 was recognized by the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment for innovation in the environmental field. In 2020, she was recognized as Grist Fixer, and as a nominee for the UCLA Pritzker Environmental Genius Award for her continued work in setting a new, more just, trajectory for climate work in government.

For over 20 years, she has worked with a variety of organizations including community development, refugee and international development, environmental, policy, organizations, schools, and government agencies as well as various grassroots initiatives to reverse the impacts of structural and institutional racism.

She received her BA from University of Pittsburgh in Africana Studies, and Linguistics and holds certificates in East Asian Studies, and Professional French Translation. She received her Master of International Development degree from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs from University of Pittsburgh and an MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute.